THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 — KELLY AND PALERM 



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be no mention of vanilla at Papantla until 

 close to the middle of the eighteenth century. 51 

 A statement by Villaseiior (1:318) implies that 

 vanilla was cultivated near Papantla in the 1740's, 

 but a document dated 1743, published by Bruman 

 (pp. 373-375), states flatly that the vine is wild. 

 It would appear that even as late as 1804, vanilla 

 was of negligible importance at Papantla. A re- 

 port from that year (Eelaciones estadisticas de 

 Nueva Espafia, p. 45) states that the Indians "and 

 the greater part of the gente de razon employ them- 

 selves in plantings of maize, beans, cane, and 

 chili" : it makes no mention of vanilla, although 

 reporting it for Totonac Misantla and Colipa. 



Under the circumstances, it seems likely that 

 vanilla planting is a late development in the Pa- 

 pantla area. In fact, it may not have flourished 

 until the introduction of artificial pollination, 

 some time after 1840 (Bruman, p. 372) . Early or 

 late, in the Papantla zone today, vanilla produc- 

 tion is firmly in the hands of the Totonac. They 

 are virtually the only growers, and in their econ- 

 omy vanilla is of vital importance as a cash crop. 



PLANTING AND CARE 



Vanilla is an epiphyte but is said to require fer- 

 tile, moist soil. There is some difference of opin- 

 ion as to optimum conditions. Some say that 

 vanilla grows better on slopes than on level land ; 

 "it yields more but the plants do not last as long." 

 It does not grow well in an aguachal (a field with 

 standing water) , although it requires much mois- 

 ture: "the soil must have a great deal of 'juice,' 

 because the roots are on the surface." 



Not everyone is fitted to grow vanilla. Some 

 believe that one whose skin burns when the sap of 

 the vine touches it will not be a successful planter. 

 Moreover, some people have a "hot hand," and 

 a vine planted by them will not grow. One may 

 go to a rezandero, a functionary akin to a shaman, 

 for treatment of this defect. 



Vanilla is propagated by cuttings, not by seed. 

 Cuttings about a yard {vara) long are taken from 

 the old vines — generally from the ends which have 

 grown so tall that both pollination and harvest- 

 ing are inconvenient; however, "any part of the 

 vine will serve." Bunches of 100 cuttings sold, 



51 In 1610, Mota y Escobar (p. 231) reports vanilla ("Tlilxo- 

 ohitl") for Totonac Chumatlfin, but the reference might be to 

 either a wild or a cultivated form. 



893477—52 10 



in 1947, at $5.00 pesos the lot. Sometimes the 

 price drops as low as $1.50; "it is very cheap if 

 the owner needs money and nobody wants to buy." 



The number of cuttings planted depends not 

 so much on the area of the land as upon the num- 

 ber of shrubs and low trees available to support 

 the vine. Low-growing plants are selected be- 

 cause vanilla grows best if it is not in complete 

 shade and because, if the tree is tall, the vine climbs 

 to inaccessible heights. 



As supports for vanilla, the following are pre- 

 ferred: three distinct plants known as oojon de 

 gato (Nos. 26, 138, 173; the latter preferable "be- 

 cause it gives' most shade"), cacahuapaxtle (No. 

 87), laurel (No. 130), two kinds of capulin (Nos. 

 21, 85), and estribillo (presumably No. 61). 

 Some consider the laurel the best of all ; some pre- 

 fer the capulin (No. 21) "because the leaves are 

 cool." 



The maize-vanilla rotation has been described 

 previously, but it may be repeated that as a maize 

 field is cultivated, all sprouting trees and shrubs 

 which are suitable as vanilla supports are spared. 

 At the end of a few years, these plants are sizable, 

 and maize is replaced by vanilla. The artificial 

 selection of plants associated with vanilla grow- 

 ing must have had a very considerable effect on 

 second growth monte in this zone. For example, 

 in parts of parcel No. 126, capulin comes pretty 

 close to being the dominant vegetation. 



Planting takes place some time between April 

 and June, just before the rains start. With the 

 metal coa, an excavation about 15 cm. deep is made 

 at the foot of the tree or shrub on which the vanilla 

 is to climb. The cutting is placed more or less 

 upright in the cavity, but inclined toward the 

 support. Its base is covered by leaves, or with 

 some of the earth from the hole, care being taken 

 not to pack the soil tightly. 



Two cuttings, sometimes three, are planted to 

 each support. Not all grow and perhaps only a 

 third of the total planting is successful. Each 

 cutting is not considered a separate vine, and 

 ordinarily two are reckoned to a plant. Owners 

 frequently count their vanilla holdings by num- 

 ber of plants rather than by area, although most 

 know the approximate extent of the field, since 

 previously it was planted to maize. 



A vanilla field is known as a vainillar (kace 

 nefni 2 ), and the number of plants per destajo 

 may vary from 800 to 4,000. Few calculate less 



